Review: Vampirella Strikes #1
At long last, master Vampirella writer Tom Sniegoski is returning to Vampirella and in reanimating, and thus launching, the limited series Vampirella Strikes he marks his return in crimson red.
Fan favorite Vampirella writer Tom Sniegoski has been away from comics for some time now. He is one of the most successful writers coming back to Vampirella, having previously written multiple series including the long running Vengeance of Vampirella #1- #25. He started out writing Vampirella and other books for Harris (the previous Vampirella publisher) before moving on to write Angel at Dark Horse with his writing partner, Christopher Golden. After this he joined the “real” writers in the world of prose. After earning a righteous position on the NY Times best seller list for his Fallen series, and ABC adapting it for TV, it is clear he has a lot of fans.
The Harris Comics series Vampirella Strikes was the first to sport a model photo cover and Sascha Knopf is still a favorite of fans worldwide. Strikes back in the day not only had Sniegoski writing, but also Mark Millar. The old miniseries ran for seven issues and an annual and was intended for stories that fell outside the regular Vampirella storyline and was originally even called Vampirella Tales.
When you finally stop drooling over the amazing covers by Michael Turner or Milo Manara and open the book, you are welcomed by the lush storytelling of Tom Sniegoski as much as the vibrant artwork by series artist Johnny Desjardins, who is truly Vampirella-worthy.
In this debut issue, Vampirella visits a bar. It almost sounds like a joke: “Sexy well-dressed vampire comes into a bar…” but there is not one giggle when the panels are describing the mayhem that has transpired. Vampirella stopped demons gorging up on the flesh and blood of mortals and she stopped them in ways that give “gore” new meaning. ‘Rella feels the darkness inside of her, wanting to come out… but she is resisting.
In another part of town, demons are trading angelic internal organs (extra credit points for originality, especially if this will be tackled further in the series!) for weaponry, when they are stopped by the angel Janus, who is trying to redeem himself to get back into Heaven.
So there you have it: Vampirella, demons, and angels. Nothing more to say, folks, except that in the last panel Vampirella is apparantly going to meet God…
Tom Sniegoski delivers a lot of true Vampirella-goodness from the moment he starts and only gains more momentum during this first issue, not in the least because his story is so superbly supported by Johnny D.’s pencils.
It will take sheer willpower to be able to wait for the second issue, as this story really hit the ground running!
Credits
- Words: Tom Sniegoski
- Art: Johnny Desjardins
- Story Title: On The Side Of Angels
- Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
- Price: $3.99
- Release Date: Jan 2, 2013
About the Author
Richard Boom Richard is the driving force behind Comics for Sinners. His love and admiration for female comic book characters is virtually unparalleled, which immediately explains his biggest 'sin': his Hot Mummy fetish. This sketchbook theme is philogynistic in nature and even the source of his WIP comic book series "The Sisterhood".
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